Question

One of the most significant yet paradoxical changes in the caste system in the contemporary period is that it has tended to become ‘invisible’ for the upper caste, urban middle and upper classes. Elaborate.

Answer 1

• Upper caste, urban middle and upper classes have benefitted the most from the developmental policies. 
• Their caste status had been crucial in ensuring that these groups had the necessary economic and educational resources to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by rapid development.
• In particular, the upper caste elite benefitted from subsidised public education especially professional education in science, technology, medicine and management.
• At the same time, they were also able to take advantage of the expansion of public sector jobs in the early decades after Independence.